Nigerian exporters are groaning over the soaring logistics costs along the Lagos–Accra corridor, as multiple levies, unofficial fees and bureaucratic hurdles imposed by transit countries, particularly Benin, Togo and Ghana, continue to frustrate regional trade.
Exporters said it now costs over N10 million to transport a truckload of goods by road to Accra, Ghana.
They warned that the high cost of cross-border trade is eroding the competitiveness of Nigerian exports, threatening the viability of intra-African trade and undermining the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Exporters face a gauntlet of checkpoints, bribe demands and customs delays that inflate costs and extend delivery timelines on the Lagos–Accra route, covering a stretch of approximately 1,726 kilometres.
A recent case study by the West African Association for Cross-Border Trade in Agro-Forestry-Pastoral and Fisheries Products (WACTAF) reveals that Nigerian exporters now incur over N10.84 million in charges to transport a single truckload of goods valued at N100 million (approximately $67,000) by road from Nigeria to Ghana.
The study details the cumulative costs encountered across Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana.
The majority of the expenses arise immediately after crossing into Benin, where authorities impose a range of official and unofficial charges, many calculated as percentages of the total cost, insurance and freight (CIF) value of the goods.
The Executive President of WACTAF, Salami Nasiru, explains that exporters are required to pay a road maintenance fee amounting to 0.85 per cent of the CIF, equivalent to N850,000 for a truckload worth N100 million.
He said this is followed by a security tax of 0.50 per cent, which is N500,000, and a customs bond of 0.25 per cent (N250,000).
Additionally, a substantial statistics levy of 7.23 per cent, or N7.23 million, is charged. A customs stamp fee, calculated at 0.4 per cent of the statistics levy, adds another N28,920 to the bill.
He states that beyond these percentage-based fees, exporters must also pay flat charges, including a tracking fee of 75,000 CFA and an undocumented customs clearing service.
In total, he discloses, the cost of transiting through Benin alone amounts to an estimated N9.05 million, making it the most expensive segment of the route.
Nasiru says upon entering Togo, exporters face additional charges, including a one per cent statistics levy (N1 million), a 0.25 per cent customs bond and a truck tracking fee of 15,000 CFA.
He said other unlisted but unavoidable expenses, such as truck scaling and miscellaneous services, are estimated at N50,000.
Nasiru added that before the goods even reach Ghanaian soil, further fees are imposed at the Togo–Ghana border, which include an administrative fee of $200 (N300,000), a tracking device charge of 50,000 CFA, a transit board fee of 30,000 CFA, and a processing fee of 50,000 CFA.
He said the charges from the Togo and Ghana segments of the corridor total approximately N1.78 million.
He stated that when combined with the N9.05 million incurred in Benin, the overall cost of transporting goods from Nigeria to Ghana via road now stands at an estimated N10.84 million per truckload.
According to him, this figure excludes domestic logistics expenses within Nigeria, such as warehousing, inland haulage and insurance, further compounding the financial strain on exporters.
However, exporters now question the practical impact of AfCFTA on ground-level trade, calling for urgent reforms and enforcement of regional protocols to eliminate non-tariff barriers, harmonise customs procedures and improve transparency across borders.
The President of the Association of West African Exporters and Marine Professionals (AWAEMAP), Olubunmi Olumekun, advocated for the adoption of alternative transport options to facilitate the movement of goods within intra-African trade.
According to Olumekun, such alternatives, if properly explored and supported, could significantly reduce the financial burden on exporters and enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness in regional trade.
Olumekun, who also serves as the President of the Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN), emphasised that road freight is not the only viable option, noting that there are inland routes through which goods can reach West African ports without having to travel by sea.
Sharing his personal experience, he recounted using barge operations to transport goods to Togo, a method he described as more efficient and profitable than the conventional road freight system.
He said in some cases, Nigerian barges have even been contracted to operate in neighbouring West African countries, where the turnaround time and ease of transactions were much more favourable.
“I took a barge to Togo, and in just a few days, we were back. Togo came here, rented our barges, and we operated there for months — and got paid. There are some routes you can take where goods reach West African ports without ever going through the ocean,” Olumekun added.
